Three bodies have been recovered and 13 others are feared dead after a fire broke out in two warehouses in West Bengal’s Najirabad area of the South 24 Parganas district in the early hours of Monday, police said.
“Three bodies have been recovered so far. There are claims that many are still missing. We are verifying the numbers,” Shubhendra Kumar, SP of Baruipur police district said.
Meanwhile, another police officer said: “At least 16 people have gone missing. Till around 5.30pm, at least three charred bodies were recovered. Family members of the remaining 13 tried to contact them on their phones, but they were unreachable. Work to douse the flames completely and removing the debris is still going on. The death toll may rise.”
According to officials, the fire broke out around 3 am in one warehouse in the area and soon spread to the adjacent one.
Alok Naskar, a resident of South 24 Parganas said: “My son-in-law, Pankaj Halder, called me up and said that there was a fire in the godown where he worked and that he and three others had been trapped. He also said that they were trying to break through a wall to get out. When I tried to call him back, his mobile phone was switched off.”
State minister Arup Biswas visited the area earlier during the day. “Six people have reportedly gone missing after the fire broke out. I have spoken with the families. Fire tenders are still working. Until the flames are completely doused and the fire brigade personnel go inside, we won’t be able to say what happened,” he had told media persons.
{{/usCountry}}State minister Arup Biswas visited the area earlier during the day. “Six people have reportedly gone missing after the fire broke out. I have spoken with the families. Fire tenders are still working. Until the flames are completely doused and the fire brigade personnel go inside, we won’t be able to say what happened,” he had told media persons.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the government, accusing the officials of enjoying a long weekend due to Republic Day. “Who will douse the flames? The state government is on leave. It is Republic Day. One person from Moyna in East Midnapore district is also missing,” Suvendu Adhikari, BJP legislator from Nandigram in East Midnapore said.